In the course or processing multiple orders, some companies may send multiple packages to the same address, spaced relatively closely together in time. For example, a clothing wholesaler may ship a box of men's slacks to a retailer one day, and then ship a box of women's blouses to the same retailer the following day. Given some latitude in when the retailer may need to receive the orders, it may be advantageous for the wholesaler to postpone the shipment of the order of men's slacks and combine it with the order of women's blouses and place it into one box, in an attempt to save shipping costs by minimizing the number of containers (e.g. boxes) shipped separately.